Page 153 of The Alpha and His Childhood Sweetheart

My heart almost stopped when we got the call Kai had been kidnapped. He was quickly returned before I could scream out instructions. The sniper was also back, she’d saved him. I sighedin relief. Rhea commented, “That’s odd timing. The sniper is back just when Alexander goes on his Hackura mission.”

I questioned, “Why is that odd? Alexander isn’t the sniper.” Rhea snorted, “No, he isn’t but he wasn’t alone wherever he was now, was he?” I argued, “Melanie isn’t the sniper.” Rhea answered, “I’m not so sure.” I didn’t want to think about that. She was coming home and that was a happy thought.

Then we were told Jason, Jayden, Finn, and Theo had been saved by the sniper earlier that day. Rhea chuckled, “The sniper needs another vacation. We know two people recently on vacation, Elise. People with Witch and Demon friends. I’m just saying.” I grumbled, “That doesn’t mean anything.” Rhea sighed, “It doesn’t not mean anything either. Just because you don’t want it to be true doesn't mean it isn’t.” I rubbed my head. EJ called Theo and reamed him after he talked to Jayden.

I was lost in thought concocting crazy theories. What if Melanie IS the sniper? Not just the sniper but Ashley herself. The name itself after all was her favorite book character. Maybe she got recruited by some secret supernatural group that’s why she never comes home. Great. Now I was crazy because of my headaches.

Rhea offered, “I don’t think you’re crazy. A lot of what you just thought makes sense. Even if it hurts my head like crazy.” I asked, “Do you know about some supernatural group that would recruit her?” Rhea sighed, “Yes, and so do you. If you were the Ring Resistance, Melanie is the perfect candidate. She’s insanely smart and wants to protect the love of her life. They gave her an option to do that.”

I reasoned, “But Ashley’s parents are dead. We think the sniper fights in the undergrounds. Mel would never do that.” Rhea sighed, “Melanie is smart enough to know how to earn the most money possible. She is absolutely capable of winning a fight even if she’s hurt. We know that better than anyone.”

I cringed, “I can’t think about Melanie fighting like that. Plus, Ashley’s parents.” Rhea whined, “As both our heads are pounding now, I will say one more thing and shut up. Ashley’s backstory could be a cover. She’s the same age as Mel and just as skilled a fighter. Without the backstory, we’d have suspected something sooner. A lot of people would’ve. Ashley won’t come meet you and if she’s Mel it lines up.” She closed our link because the pounding was unbearable.

I had to stop thinking about it, but Rhea wasn’t wrong. I just hoped she was. Ashley did ramble just like Melanie. Melanie had stopped doing that though. Was I not talking to Melanie in those calls? Was Melanie really not Melanie? GOD this sounded insane.

I was withdrawn the rest of the day. MaryBeth wanted to talk to me, but I just went upstairs and went to bed. I hoped to god Rhea and I were spit balling crazy theories. I bolted up in bed with one last thought on the subject.

My insane theory would explain Alexander’s confusion. EJ had told me that Alexander had videos of Melanie dancing. He knew what she looked like. He also knew what Melanie smelled like since he had her scent. What if he was confused because Melanie introduced herself as Ashley?

I wiped away the tears that fell onto my cheeks. That couldn’t be it. No. Melanie was in New York living her dream and that was that. I pulled the sheets over my body and forced myself to go to sleep clinging to the hope that thought was right. I just had a very bad feeling she wasn’t in New York living her dream. I whimpered in pain and let it all go.

On our last day, Melanie finally called. I walked outside smiling knowing this was what I needed. Everything would settle once I talked to her. This would straighten everything out. I accepted the call, “Hi, Ladybug.” Melanie giggled, “Hi Elise,what’s going on? I thought you were on vacation.” I stared at the phone in surprise.

I hadn’t told her that. Had I? Rhead said, “I don’t think so.” Neither did I. We hadn’t connected in a few weeks. I shrugged it off. Someone must have told her. I offered, “Yes, but we are coming home today. I was just curious about something and had to ask you.”

She chuckled, “Ask away.” It was all off. I charged on, “What happened to your Plan Z?” Melanie laughed, “I decided to go back to plan A.” Rhea linked me, “What? That makes no sense.” Rhea was right. I played it off, “Sure. How is Plan A going then?”

Melanie answered “Great! Just like all my plans go. You know me.” I did and that’s why I knew she wasn’t Melanie. My headache was killing me, but she didn’t know Plan Z was about meeting Alexander. Melanie didn’t forget things like that.

I forced myself to laugh, “Good for you! Anyway, I needed your help with something.” Melanie sighed, “Sure, I guess. I’ve got to run here in a few minutes though.” She always did. I rushed, “Right. Well, Dalton and I were trying to remember that code word we had back when we were pups. For the life of us we couldn't remember. Dakota forgot too. I just knew if anyone remembered it would be you. T and Jase said we were just dumb pups sitting in the forest making shit up. We have been trying to think of it all week.”

Melanie laughed, “Right, that day in the forest. I remember what you are talking about, but I just can’t remember for the life of me what the word was. I’ll think about it.” My mouth dried and horror slammed into me.

The word was Mshango and we weren’t sitting in a forest when we came up with it. We were in my old childhood bedroom. We all remembered the word. This girl didn’t know what Plan Z was and she didn’t know about Mshango. Oh god. Rhea howled in agony in my mind.

Melanie said, “Anyway, I’ve got to run. Talk soon.” Rhea took over, “Yeah sure thing, Mel!” The fake Melanie hung up. I stared at the phone. Tears filled my eyes. Where was Ladybug? EJ was suddenly outside with me. My head was pounding with pain but now I knew the truth.

Melanie wasn’t living her dream. Part of my head was screaming at me that she was. I was having to physically fight myself. I must have fell because the next thing I knew I was in EJ’s arms, begging him to help me.

I cried to Rhea, “We need to find her. Something was wrong. That girl on the phone wasn’t her. Where is she? Where is my little sister?” I knew was beyond hysterical. My dad linked, “Sweetie, please breathe.” I linked my family, “It’s not her. It was never her! WHERE IS SHE?!” That confused them, but I blocked them out.

EJ popped us home. I knew the emotions around me were heightened. I could barely think over the pounding in my head. I linked Rhea, “Could Ashley really be Melanie? Why is there a fake Melanie? Why does our head hurt so bad?” Rhea weakly replied, “I don’t know about any of it. I have a bad feeling about all this.” She wasn’t alone in that.

Dalton pried our link open, “You need to talk to your mate. He thinks he’s never seen a picture of Melanie.” What? There were a million pictures of Melanie everywhere in Red Run. Even in my house. The McAlister’s couldn’t be prouder of her. GOD THIS HEADACHE!

Eric claimed Melanie wasn’t in the pictures at the anniversary party. Everyone disagreed with us when we argued she was. I was going to be sick. The room started to get unbearably hot. Oh god. Did Alpha Ezra take Melanie? Everything snapped back into focus when EJ screamed at Drake to give him permission to go to New York.

I looked at him in shock. Rhea asked, “Huh? How bad does my head hurt?” Not that much apparently. Everything was a lie. This had been planned for such a long time. They hurt her and I let them. I felt the bile in my throat. I wasn’t the only one crying when we found out this rule wasn’t put in place by Eric or Drake. Oh god. How were we so blind?

Was I wrong? What if Ashley wasn't Melanie at all? What if someone took her? This was such a long con. Could some supernatural group have wanted to recruit her and set this up? Why would they do this to us? WHERE WAS SHE?!

EJ got everything done and popped us away. We were in the apartment that was supposed to be Melanie’s. I started sobbing because it was very clearly staged. Melanie’s scent wasn’t even here. She’d never been here. I was near hysterics.

I linked my mom, “It’s not real. NOTHING IS REAL!” She asked, “Elise, what’s going on? Sweetie, talk to me.” I couldn’t though. I was not rational right now. I linked Zoe, “EJ was thrown back trying to pop to her. She’s never been in this place. Oh god, Zoe.” She said, “You’ve got this. It’s going to be ok. We will find her now.” What if she was dead? Goddess, no! Please not Ladybug.

EJ popped us to the high school Melanie had gone to. My head was pounding so hard it physically hurt to move. I buried my head in EJ’s chest and cried as the clues unraveled around us. Melanie was nowhere to be found in this city. Not at the high school, or Julliard. The facts were clear. She’d been missing for six years and not a damn one of us looked for her. She must hate us all.

I refused to think that for the last six years Melanie had been tortured and suffering. I was wholly rejecting her being dead. I would’ve felt a shift in the world. So would the McAlister’s. Rhea offered, “Or Melanie really is Ashley. She thinks everyone in her family is dead except one of her brothers and isn’t welcome inRed Run. She started over and used a new identity.” That made me cry harder because it made sense.

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